Family night on the turps turns violent

A NIGHT of drinking ended on a sour note for a Warwick man who struck his wife in the face before his stepdaughter hit him over the head with a stubby.

The 43-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, got into an altercation with the woman on April 13 while the couple and the woman's two teenage children were all drinking.

The court heard the couple were involved in a "volatile" relationship and both had been subject to domestic violence orders during their short marriage.

The man had been placed on one such order just one month earlier.

The Warwick Magistrates Court this week heard the mention of an ex-girlfriend that evening caused an explosive argument between the couple.

When the situation escalated, the woman and her daughter left with talk of scratching the ex-girlfriend's car.

The woman told police that when she returned a few minutes later and tried to open a gate, her husband reached over and punched her in the face.

She said the impact of the blow caused her to fall to the ground.

The man denied using a closed fist to hit his wife and claimed he shoved her with his palm.

He further claimed the woman slapped him in the face and twisted his fingers.

Upon seeing her mother hit, the man's stepdaughter had struck him on the head with a beer bottle, leaving a gash in his forehead.

Solicitor Carl Settgast told the court his client's head had required five stitches.

He added that his client said the woman's fall could have been the result of her intoxication, as much as his striking her. The court heard the 43-year-old was bailed shortly after the incident, but had been unable to return to his home since.

The couple had since separated, but Mr Settgast said there was a real possibility they would reunite.

The man yesterday pleaded guilty to contravening a domestic violence order and was fined $750. No conviction was recorded against him.